"He won't do that today": Langer reveals conversation with KL Rahul about Konstas
Dec 26, 2024
Melbourne [Australia], December 26 : Former cricketer and head coach Justin Langer revealed the conversation he had with KL Rahul about Sam Konstas going all guns blazing against India on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Konstas was added to Australia's squad ahead of the fourth Test in place of Nathan McSweeney, who struggled for runs, but to no avail.
Australian selectors evaluated the opening conundrum and decided to throw the young and inexperienced Konstas into action in front of a sell-out crowd at the MCG, against a top-class Indian bowling unit.
Konstas lined up with the Australian team after impressing in the unofficial Test against India A, showcasing a plethora of unorthodox shots from his arsenal.
Before the first delivery of the fourth Test was bowled, Langer spilled the beans on his conversation with Rahul. During the chat, Langer mentioned that Rahul told him Konstas wouldn't be able to execute the ramp shots as he did in the unofficial Test between India A and Australia A. However, Rahul was eventually proven wrong.
"He's only played 11 first-class games, but I did speak to KL Rahul before the game. I asked him, 'Have you seen this kid, Sam Konstas?' And he said, 'Oh, we only saw him in the Prime Minister's XI game (50 overs). He was playing these ramp shots and all this sort of stuff.' Rahul said, 'But he won't do that today.' I said, 'Yeah, sure, he won't do that today.' And straight away, Sam Konstas was doing that," Langer said on Star Sports.
The 19-year-old sent Australian fans into a frenzy by executing a ramp shot to perfection off Jasprit Bumrah for a four. His aggressive stroke play, oozing with confidence, lifted the Australian team to a dominant position.
His 60 (65) laid the foundation for Australia to sit in the driver's seat with a score of 311/6, leaving spectators and former cricketers impressed by the end of the day.
"He's been given a licence to go and attack Bumrah, but that's not easy--that is so hard to do. Even in T20 cricket, I think Bumrah's economy rate is as good as anyone's. So it's not easy to do that. But the kid was bold, talking a good game, and then he came and put it into action. That's what great players do. Anyone can talk a good game. He came and put it into action, and it was exciting to watch," he added.
